Burial vault



Feb. 13, 1923.

A. 1. HOPKINS.

BURIALl VAULT.

FlLED APR l 1922 iw. Z., p

Il!! l!! Il!! Erw-- RL 4 y,

WIT/VESSES anatented Feb. 13, i923.

UNlTEl terasse paraat orties,

A'L'V'AH HQPKINS, OF NEWARK, NEW ERSEY.

BURIAL VAULT.

` Application' ined Api-i1 1,

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ALVAH J. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial Vaults, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to burial vaults, more particularly to a base or support for caskets disposed in burialvaults, and consists in thecombinations, constructions and `arrangements herein described and claimed. e

An object vof my invention is to provide a base or support which is adapted to be positioned in burial vaults to support a casket therein above the bottom or floor of the vault and to drainl any moisture that may collect in the vault froin underneath the casket to appreciable distances laterally of the casket, whereby the casket is protected from any detrimental effect of moisture within the vault. I

A further object of my' invention is to provide a device which is adapted to be positioned within a burial vault to support a casket therein and which has no 'sharp edges in Contact with the casket, such, as might occasion cuts orvbruises in the casket when the latter is superimposed/upon the baseior support or on account of the weight of the casket.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device of the 'character' described which is made of a non-oxidiz'able material and is adapted to support a casket indefinitely without any deterioration therein and without being aected by corrosion, decay or the attacks of insects or vermin.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly outlined in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which i Figure l isa vertical section through a portion of a burial vault, showing a base or support embodying my invention, the view ofthe support or base 'being substantially along the line 1 1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the base or suport, -f

p Figure 3 is a section along the line 3 3 of Figure. 2, l and 1922. Serial No. 548,588.

Figure t is a section along the line 4 4 of Figure 2. v

In Figure l I show a portion of a burial vault or compartment having vertical walls l extending from the floor or bottom wall 2 which may be formed in the earth or may consist of a suitable, foundation surface adapted to permit moisture to pass freely therethrough. A support indicated generally at 3 is disposed within the vault ory compart-A ment upon the floor or bottom wall 2 and is of lessarea than the floor or bottom wall, the edges of the support or base being spaced from the walls l to providea space 4: through which moisture may drain from the upper surface of the support or base through lthe bottom wall 2, as will hereinafter appear.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the support or base 3 comprises a substantially flat body of rectangular configura tion. The body 5 may be molded, shaped or formed in any suitable known manner of any suitable material' which isjnon-oxidiz able and not subject to injury on account of the attacks of insects,'vermin or the like. For example, l may form the body 5 of cement, concrete oran'y other plastic material which will set hard, vor of wood, suitably treated as with creesote or the like to render y the same durable rand to preclude the attacks of insects or'vermin. rlhe bottom face 6 of the body 5 is fashioned to lie yclose against the `bottomwall 2 at all points and is' by preferencev formedv with he rentire lower or under surface thereoflocated in the same plane. lt will be understood that the contour of the body 5 will be such as to conform to the contour of the interior of. the

vault orcompartment. .i

The body 5 is formed, to providein the upper facethereef a series of depressions or grooves 7 which Vextend transversely of the body from one side edge to the other, the series of depressions or grooves cxteiuling an appreciable distance from one end ofthe body to a like distance from the otherend of the body and each pairof adjacent depressions or grooves'being spaced apart by a-.re-

latively raised portion 8. The relatively vraised portions 3- extend' transversely of the body from one side edge thereof to the other side edge and thus constitute ridges `which alternate with the depressions or struck to the radius of a circle so that the apices of the ridges and the portions along the longitudinal median line of the valleys dol not provide sharp edges but are syrumetrically curved. rlhe Width of each rid ge S is greatest along the longitudinal median line of the body 5 and decreases toward the side edges of the body 5. ln consequence, the Width of each valley 7 Will be less along the longitudinal inedian line of the body and will increase uniformly toward the side edges of the body.

The said valleys 7 decrease regularly in depth from the side edges of the body 5 to the longitudinal median line of the body 5, being therefore inclined from their ends toward the longitudinal inedian line of the body 5. The valleys 7 are relatively wide at their ends or in other Words at the side edges of the body 5 and converge regularly from, the side edges of the body toward vthe longitudinal median line of the body. T he end valleys 7 are deepened intermediate of their ends as indicated at 7 tor a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

Relatively short alternating ridges 9 and valleys 10 extend from the end or remote valleys 7 to the end and portions of the side edges of the body 5 as best seen in Figure 2. The ridges 9 and valleys l0 are of arcuate cross sectional contour and are Wider at their outer ends than elsewhere, converging together at their relatively narrow inner ends, the point at Which their inner ends would meet if sufficiently extended lying in the longitudinal median line of the body 5. rl`he depth of the relatively s iort valleys 10 is greatest at the outer ends thereof and de,- creases regularly toward the inner ends thereof. T he crests of the ridges S and 9 are tangent to a plane parallel to the plane of the under face of the body.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. It is intended that the series of valleys 7 Will be of such length that the end valleys having the relatively deep middle portions 7 will be located adjacent to and in parallelism with the opposite ends of a. casket l1 which will rest upon the base rlhe ropes or suspension members passed around the casket il when the latter is lowered into position to rest upon the upper face of the body 5 as sho vu in Figure 1 will rest in the relatively deep portions 7 ofthe end valleys 7 so that all. underlying portions of the ri dges S will contact at their apices with the bottom of' the casl-ret 1l and aid in supporting the latter. Since the apices of the ridges 8 und of the ridges 9 are rounded when considered in cross section it Will be apparent that the casket `Will not be cut or marred when lorverer to rest upon the base or by reason of the Weight of the casket. Since the' portion of the base or support il uuderlying the casket ll, is formed with ridk on its up per face inclined in all directions from the longitudinal median line of that portion and since the portions of the support or base 3 extending laterally of the casket il slope from the casket toward the edges of the base or support 3, any moisture collecting` within the vault or compartment will be drained from the portion of the base located beneath the casket to pass over the edges of the base to the underlying Wall or bot-toni 2 and will be absorbed by or percolate through the latter. Since the valleys 7 and 10 are arcuate in cross sectional contour, no obstruction is ollered to the tlouv of moisture to the outer edges of the body. l

Obviously, iny invention is susceptible of embodiment in forins other than that in which illustrated in the accoinoanying drawings, and .l therefore consider as in'v own all inodi'ticationsand 'adaptations of 'the form herein disclosed which fairly fail within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claiin is l. A base for caskets comprising substantially flat body vportion having alternatingl grooves and ridges in the upper face thereof, the depth of. each groove being greater atits outer end than lother points therealongand all .of said ridges being tangent at all points along their length to a common plane.

2. A base for supporting caskets coinprising a substantially flat body having alternating ridges and valleys in the upper face thereof, said valleys being deepest and Widest at their outer ends. i

3. A base for supporting caskets cointernating ridges and valleys in the .upper face thereof, said valleysv being deepest and Widest at their outer ends, and said'valleys and said ridges being` substantially arcuate in cross sectional. contour, the crests of ridges being tangent at all points along their length to aconnnon plane.

4c. A base for caskets comprising a substantially flat body having in the upper face thereof `series of alternating ridges and depressions extending transversely of the body, there being valleys at the opposite end oit' the series. each of said ridges and said valleys being` arcuate in cross sectional contour at all points along the length there of and said valleys being of greatest 'Width and greatest depth at the endsv thereof, decreasing in Width rand depth toward the longitudinal niedian line ofthe body, said end valleys having the intermediate portions thereof of greater depth than the corresponding portions of the remaining' valleys, as and for the purposes described.

A. base for casket-s comprising. a sub- '105 pri-singa substantially fiat bodyhaving alf the body and the portions of the upper Jface or' the body extending between the respective end valleys and ythe Corresponding ends or the body being formed With alternating ridges and valleys radiating from the intermediate portions of said end Valleys, and being of greatest Width at their outer ends and arcuate in cross sectional contour at all points y along their length, said radial Valleys being of greatest depth at their outer ends.

6. A base for easkets comprising a substantially flat body having in the upper face thereof series of alternating ridges and depressions extendingv transversely of the body, there being Valleys at :the opposite ends of the series, each of said ridges and said valleys being arcuate in cross sectional contour at all points along the length thereof and |said Valleys being of greatest Width and greatest depth at the ends thereof, decreasing. in width and depth towardv the longitudinal median line of the body, said,

end valleys being located at appreciable distances from the ends of the body and the portions of the upperk face or' the body extending between the respective end Valleys and the corresponding ends of 'the body being formed with alternating ridges and valleys, radiating from the intermediate portions of said end valleys and being of great- 4est width at their outer ends and arcuate in cross sectional contour at all points'alon'g their length, said radial valleys being of greatest depth at their outer endsthe crests of all of said first named ridges and said` a second named ridges lying in the saine plane. l

i vALVAH J. HOPKINS. 

